Govt strengthens security of RSS chief on inputs by intelligence agencies

The government has strengthened the security of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in view of latest threat inputs analysed by federal intelligence agencies, official sources said Wednesday. The 73-year-old Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief is secured by an armed VIP protection unit of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) under the top Z-plus category. Official sources said as part of this Z-plus protocol, Bhagwat was provided a security cover all across the country. Recently, central intelligence agencies found that a procedure called Advance Security Liaison (ASL) for the RSS Sarsanghchalak was not being done uniformly and hence it was decided to notify it as a regular and mandatory exercise for Bhagwat, the sources said. As part of the ASL, an advance team of the CISF 'special security group' (SSG) will every time carry out reconnaissance of the venues supposed to be visited by the RSS chief along with local police and administration authorities, they said. The CRPF, that also has